The metal doorknob felt cold under your hand, but you clutched it anyways, slowly turning until the door clicked open. You poked your head around the door and sighed, thankful that the disastrous chef with a tendency to set things on fire wasn’t yet awake.

Quickly, you made your way to the storage room, pulling out ingredients to make a cake for the young master’s birthday. A can of Earl Grey tea was higher up on the shelves and you stretched to reach it, placing one hand on the shelf below to steady yourself.

Finally wrapping your frigid fingers around the metal can, you silently cheered and began to lower yourself.

“What exactly are you doing?” you hear a cool voice say from behind you.

You jumped, nearly dropping the can you worked so hard to retrieve from your hands. Turning around, you saw the butler of the Phantomhive manor smiling threateningly at you. “Se-sebastian!” you managed to stutter out, “I was- I was just-” Drawing in a deep breath, you looked away from the increasingly amused expression on the butler’s face. “Today is the young master’s birthday and I wanted to do something special for him. He’s done so much for us.”

The pale man’s light brown-violet eyes narrowed slightly, but that intimidating smile remained even as he walked away, leaving you to your own devices. “That he has,” you heard the man mutter as disappeared from sight.

Letting out the breath you were holding, your shoulders slumped forward. You never would get used to the black butler of the Phantomhive Manor.

You shook the slight fear away and gathered everything into your small arms once more, struggling not to drop anything as you waddled out of the room. Despite your careful steps, however, you still stumbled and felt one of the cans fly from your hand.

Cringing, you squeezed your eyes shut in preparation for the clatter that never came.

“My, my,” you heard a familiar voice mutter, “I can’t leave you alone for a second.”

Nearly dropping the rest of the cans, you remained frozen where you stood, “Sebastian?!” you squeaked as you heard the man set the can on the counter, “I thought you had left!”

“Yes, I was going to. However, the dishes had yet to be cleaned after last night and I felt obliged to have everything spotless for the young master’s birthday. It seems rather fortunate I was still here, wouldn’t you agree?”

With a small nod, your glazed (e/c) eyes tore their gaze from the lean man and went back to the supplies in your hands. That got your head back where you needed it.

Rushing over to put the cans down, you searched frantically for a mixing bowl, nervous under the gaze of Sebastian.

A sigh sounded behind you, causing you to turn. Sebastian was slowly approaching you, one gloved hand running through his raven black hair. “I suppose I’ll have to do this myself, then. You just make the tea.”

“Ye-yes sir!”

Tea was easy. You could make tea. It was just as simple as boiling water and putting the leaves in. Cake, however, was a different story.

Glancing over at the butler, you were shocked by his obvious talent in the kitchen. You felt simplistic in comparison.

You were shocked when you saw his oddly hued eyes flicker towards you. “If you’re going to just stand there and stare, you might as well make me a cup as well.”

Biting back your embarrassment, you got back to your job.

When the young master woke up a few minutes later, you watched Sebastian wheel the buggy that carried your master’s breakfast into his bedroom. It took a while, but, when the butler emerged, you were glad to be able to hand him his own cup of tea.

The man you so admired took a sip of the still steaming drink before turning his eyes back to you.